This is interesting. I live in the Northwest and teach at an
institution where the majority of students are Hispanic. One of my
students is an immigrant about forty years old. I've come to know him
fairly well; he always refers to me as Miss Janet. He's the only
student I have who does this. My impression with him is that Ms.
Castilleja is too formal but Janet is too informal. Maybe in some
contexts this is a reasonable response to this issue.
Janet Castilleja
Basic Skills Coordinator
Heritage University
Toppenish WA
-----Original Message-----
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alice Fesmire
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2007 1:14 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Mr. + first name
Definitely Southern. The custom ran across all races and social
classes, but definitely also smacks of racism in its usage. I will NOT
allow anyone to call me "Miss" Firstname because it often gets shortened
to "Miss Ann" which has the horrible echo of "in the Big House" behind
it.
The racism part comes in when blacks were required to address whites -
adults AND children as "Miss" or "Master" Firstname, while blacks were
addressed as "Uncle Tom" and not given the respectful Mr. + Lastname.
Within the black community, Mr./Mrs. + Lastname is preferred. Most
whites don't think twice about it.
I do. Don't use it. If I don't know you well enough to call you by
your first name, then err on the side of Mr./Mrs. Lastname, please.
Alice Ann Fesmire
Curriculum Content Trainer Secondary English
EBR Parish Schools
12000 Goodwood Blvd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70812
225.226.7723
>>> Jeff Wiemelt <[log in to unmask]> 5/31/2007 2:51 pm >>>
Seth, I can't speak to the origins of that usage, but I can say that
here in
the New Orleans area it's the default form of address used whenever
addressing someone significantly older--kids to young adults, young
adults
to middle-agers, and middle-agers to the elderly. It doesn't seem to
vary
much across settings, except those characterized by high degrees of
formality. Certainly a child in my neighborhood would address me as
"Mr.
Jeff." But students generally lean toward "Dr. Jeff," too. Now if there
was
an element of derision in this usage originally, it's certainly gone
now in
the deep south. Nor is "distance" part of the equation anymore. Rather,
"Mr.
Jeff" indicates a show of deference + friendliness, perhaps a
respectful
first move in negotiating closeness. In fact, to call me "Mr. Wiemelt"
or
"Dr. Wiemelt" would likely signal a very distant or highly formal
relationship. It's a good way to offend someone in many cases.
I should say that I'm not from the south originally, and all of this
was
quite difficult for me to get used to once I moved here, 15 years ago.
But
I've come to love this usage. It may take a bit longer for me to
swallow
this whole "sugar" and "sweetie" thing. And don't even get me started
on the
#%$$* weird courtesies of southern drivers. . . .
Jeff
Dr. Jeff Wiemelt
Director of Freshman English
Southeastern Louisiana University
Hammond, LA 70402
(985) 549-5761
----- Original Message -----
From: "Katz, Seth" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2007 1:55 PM
Subject: Mr. + first name
>I was wondering if any of you have observed this particular usage, and
if
>you might know anything about its origins and distribution.
>
> One of my students, named Nate Smith, works at his father's business
and
> has observed that African American workers in the business refer to
him as
> "Mr. Nate" and refer to his father as "Mr. Mike." Nate has observed
the
> same usage among his African American co-workers in a campus
cafeteria
> kitchen--where he is not the boss's son, but a fellow dishwasher.
>
> On brief reflection, I realized that this usage appears in a number
of
> contexts: the care-providers in child-care facilities are often
referred
> to by the children as Mr. or Ms. + first name. The staff in the
> pediatrician's office does the same thing: it's "Dr. Lori," not "Dr.
+
> last name" (though sometimes they just refer to the physician as
"Doctor";
> I've heard the same with Catholic priests being referred to as
"Father,"
> though I've also heard them referred to by Father + first name). In
some
> congregations, I have heard the clergy person called Rabbi Sam
(instead of
> Rabbi Schwartz) or Pastor Tom (instead of Pastor Eckhart). Then there
are
> nationally syndicated figures like Dr. Laura and Dr. Phil.
>
> Does anyone know the origin of this usage--honorific + first name?
Does it
> originate in Black English? I'm thinking of "Mistah Charlie," for
> example, as a generic reference to the boss(es) or White men with
power.
> In the odd mix of intimacy (first name use) and distance (honorific),
> might I detect some derisive irony--an opportunity to get in a dig
(by
> being overly familiar) while maintaining the guise of respect (by
using
> the honorific)? If derision was implied in its origin, my sense is
that
> that feature has been lost as the usage has spread: that it has
become a
> sort of 'cutism' to make figures of authority (physicians, clergy,
> employers) seem more approachable.
>
> I myself find the usage grating for the most part, though it is cute
when
> my 4-year-old neighbor calls me "Mr. Seth" and I call him "Mr.
John."
>
> Any information or opinions would be welcome.
>
> Seth
>
> Dr. Seth Katz
> Assistant Professor | Faculty Advisor
> Department of English | Bradley University Hillel
> Bradley University |
>
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